Makerspaces, where people come together to design and create new things, gaining popularity

Makerspace—any place with tools and devices where people can make or create things—has become popular in the West and the concept is gaining ground in India.

There's no telling what people tinkering with machines or tools can end up creating. While most of the products may not have much of an impact, a few may be breakthrough innovations.

Which is why makerspace—any place with tools and devices where people can make or create things—has become popular in the West. The concept is gaining ground in India, especially due to enthusiasts who have been exposed to the makerspace communities in the United States and Europe.

Such spaces have been, or will soon be, set up in major cities such as Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi. There are also plans to set up nearly 20 of them in Kerala. "It could be just anything under the sky," said Ajjai Chandra, a developer at software company Ten Miles, on the kind of products usually made at makerspaces.

Chandra, 31, and four others set up a makerspace community in Chennai about a couple of months ago. The space has a 3D printer, a projector, oscilloscope (used for debugging electrical signals), carpentry tools and even a guitar.

SS Nirmalkumar, founder of Insane Labs, who has also been instrumental in setting up Makerspace Chennai, said, "At home, you are all by yourself doing whatever you are trying to do. Here, you end up meeting people who share your interests."

Communities are Not-for-profit

The community, Makerspace Chennai, has over 400 members on its Facebook page and is now trying get organisations to donate CNC routers (a computer-controlled cutting machine), 3D printers, and other such devices.

"This helps us get tools and for the companies they are able to market to the right audience," said Chandra.

A similar community set up in Mumbai by Vaibhav Chhabra and Anool Mahidharia called Makers Asylum has three 3D printers, a CNC milling machine, woodworking and prototyping tools, among other things. "We are planning to make our own laser cutter," said Chhabra.

Chhabra, 24, and Mahidharia, 49, are now helping their friends set up Makers Asylum in Delhi, which is expected to be operational in six months.

Mahidharia, a director at testing company Lumetronics, has also cofounded a virtual makerspace called Wyolum along with Justin Shaw in 2010, where members across the globe join to collaborate and create things. "With Wyolum, each person contributes in creating a product and the idea is to keep it open source. This helps us produce something exactly the same way no matter where we are," said Mahidharia.

These communities are not-for-profit entities, mainly funded by the cofounders. They also rely on a subscription model to sustain operations. "It is like a gym or a library. You pay for a certain period of time and use the tools at the facility," said 28-year-old Manas Chhabra, makerspace-evangelist who is helping Chhabra and Mahidharia set up the Delhi Makers Asylum.

In Bangalore, Archana Prasad and Freeman Murray cofounded a community space called Jaaga where they partner with different organisations. They offer certain programmes for startups to study, collaborate and share.

Makers Asylum in Mumbai and Makerspace Chennai also conduct workshops to not only train people on using the tools but also introduce subjects to them.

"While we are not putting pressure on people to pay as of now, but our aim is to bring in more and more people," said Chandra of Makerspace Chennai, which charges Rs 500 per month. But others have taken a different route. Anupama Prakash, 34, and Pavan Kumar, 30, found it tough to set up a not-for-profit makerspace community.

So instead they set up a company, Workbench Projects, in Bangalore. Currently operating out of a garage, the duo has plans to set up nine studios each for a dedicated purpose.

For instance, one studio would be used for coding, one for sustainable projects and another as a machine tool floor. The company will soon start talking to potential investors and has tied up with Clemson University in South Carolina to identify problems and work together.

Interestingly, Fab Lab, a concept of the Massachussets Institute of Technology, was set up in Pune in 2002—the first lab to be set up outside the United States. It was funded by the National Science Foundation of the US and IIT-Kharagpur.

All Fab Labs have the same set of tools and processes and are connected to each other to form a global network to promote innovation and invention and sharing of ideas.

"The maker movement took some time to establish itself in India, considering the fact that the first makerspace I know of was built in 2002 and the next one didn't come about for a number of years," said Anna Waldman-Brown, a maker-evangelist who works with the international Fab Lab network.

The Kerala government had announced that it would set up 21 Fab Labs, following the specifications and directions of MIT.

"All Fab Labs are makerspaces, not all makerspaces are Fab Labs," said Waldman-Brown.

Prashant Patil, head of Fablab India Foundation, said initially it was difficult to get people to use the tools. Then the foundation decided to focus on students and graduates and this, he said, has worked well.

"But the idea is to include all at the grassroots level too," said Patil. The Fablab India Foundation, currently funded by MIT and the Tata Group, is looking to secure grants from the government and as well private organisations to set up at least 100 Fab Labs in India over the next two years. India's first maker fest was organised by US-based venture capitalist and founder of Motwani Jadeja Family Foundation in collaboration with the National Institute of Design in January this year. In this, makers from all across the country and some from the US showcased their inventions.

"I think the philosophy behind makerspaces—the idea of local production and manufacturing, and the democratisation of technology—has its roots in Gandhian philosophy as much as it comes from the burgeoning tech scene worldwide," said Waldman-Brown.